New Beginnings (Heartland)
by equinedreams
Summary: The sequel to my story After the Storm. Amy is getting over her fear of horses more & more and getting client horses back. Also, Caleb has his world turned upside down when Ashley shows up uninvited.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing my stories! So this story is like the sequel to After the Storm, my last story. It's going to have the continued storyline of Amy getting better around horses, but with Caleb and Ashley added in. You may notice some things happen sort of like they do in the show, but most don't. I hope you like it, and please review! :) (Also: do you like me updating everyday or is that too soon?)

Chapter One: A New Day

Caleb O'dell rolled over in bed and glanced over at the clock. No, that couldn't be right. He rubbed his eyes groggily and squinted at the lit-up numbers.

Yes, that was right. "Crap!" He said loudly, hopping out of bed and grabbing his jeans. He shoved him on, raked a hand through his hair, and ran down the loft ladder.

For a while he had been staying up in the Heartland loft. He didn't really have a place to stay now that Ty was living in his trailer. Besides, he could use the extra money that came with helping out at the Ranch.

Although, he wouldn't be there long if he kept waking up this late. It was already nine thirty; everyone had been up for hours. He went to the supplies closet to grab a pitchfork to find Amy standing in the tack room.

She looked at him knowingly. "Don't worry about it, Caleb." She said. "I've already mucked them out." He grimaced a little, sorry that he had overslept so much. "Well what do you need me to do?" He asked.

"Well, a new client horse is coming today." Amy said, adjusting a few of the bridles. "You could clean up a stall for him." "Sure thing."

Amy walked back to the house, and Caleb grabbed a bag of wood chips. Going to an empty stall he cleaned it out and then began pouring the fresh chips in, making it all nice and new for the new horse that was coming.

Off in the distance he heard a car pull up, but he thought nothing of it. He started to hum as he worked-an old country tune they were always playing at rodeos. Suddenly he heard, "Hey, cowboy!"

That voice. That familiar voice that used to make his head spin-in a good way, that is. He turned around slowly to face his ex-wife, Ashley O'dell. Or maybe now it was Ashley Stanton again. He had no clue.

Swallowing, he said, "What do you want?"

•••••••••••••••••••

"This is Foxtrot." A tall woman dressed in breeches and a polo helped Amy lead the beautiful dappled gray Arabian out of the trailer. "He's gorgeous." Amy breathed, patting his muscular neck.

The woman smiled proudly. "He'll be a champion, that one." She said. "If only he wasn't so spooky." Amy tilted her head, curious. "What does he spook at?" She asked, leading the horse to the barn.

"Only stuff in the jumping ring. He's pretty much bombproof otherwise. But jumps with flowers on them or water underneath them or bright colors-he goes crazy." She said. Amy nodded. "I see."

She put Foxtrot in his stall. "I'll call you with updates, okay? And if you ever want to come see him, you're welcome to." She said, smiling in a friendly manner at her client.

"Thank you." The woman said goodbye to her horse and left. Amy turned to Foxtrot and petted his muzzle. "Good boy." She said softly. "We're going to do this together, okay? Starting tomorrow, once you get settled in." She fed him a treat from her pocket and left him to get settled into the new place.


	2. Chapter 2 (Surprises)

Chapter Two: Surprises

(the rest of Ty and Amy's date will come in the next chapter!)

Caleb and Ashley stood in near silence as Amy and her client walked past, leading a gray horse. Once they had left, Ashley turned back to Caleb. "It's so nice to see you!" She said, a smile lighting up her face.

Caleb felt a wave of anger wash over him. No. This was not going to happen. She was not going to come back here and act like everything was fine when it wasn't.

"I asked you what you wanted, Ashley." They had walked to the barn office to get out of Amy's way, and now Caleb wished they were anywhere *but* in an enclosed room. She was getting too close to him. He could feel his head start to spin like it used to.

Ashley shrugged nonchalantly. "I just wanted to see how everyone was doing." She looked Caleb up and down slowly. "And what you were up to." Caleb shook his head. "No, Ash." He said gruffly. "You are not gonna come back here and act like everything is like it used to be. Our marriage is over."

Ashley frowned. "Don't be like that, Caleb. I miss you." She said. Suddenly she was getting closer and closer. Somehow he found that she was in his arms. Her lips were on his in a long kiss.

He didn't have a clue what was going on.

••••••••••••••

Later that evening, after Amy had fed the horses, she pressed Ty's number on speed dial and waited until he picked up.

"Hello?" His familiar voice rang out into her ear. Smiling, Amy sat down on the porch bench. "Hey, Ty." She said into the phone. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Well, I've got some studying to do and..." Before he could finish, Amy interrupted. "How about I take you out for dinner?" She said happily. There was a pause. "Ah no, it's okay, Amy...I can pay..." Ty could be stubborn about some things. He liked to pay for the meals when they went out on dates, but Amy had decided that she was going to pay this time.

"Oh no you won't." Amy said. "I'm paying this time. I owe it to you. After all, you were the one who came up with that wonderful plan to get me back on track with horses." She heard Ty's soft chuckle. "Okay, okay," He said. "But I get to drive."

This time it was Amy who laughed. "Alright. Meet me here at seven."

••••••••••••••••••

Right at 7 o'clock, Ty pulled up. Amy was ready and waiting in a new pair of jeans, a nice blouse, and her leather jacket. She was wearing the necklace that Tim gave her that had been her mother's. It meant a lot to her. She also had figured up a plan of where they were going to eat and everything. She wanted it all to be just right.

Ty hopped out of the truck and walked over to his fiancée. "Don't you look lovely." He said. He bent down to brush a light kiss across her lips. "You don't look so bad yourself." Amy teased, taking in the sight of Ty in his pressed V-neck T-shirt and dark jeans with his jacket thrown over it.

"I would have dressed up more but you said not to." He said. "That's right. It'll just be casual tonight." Amy reached inside the house and picked up the picnic basket of food that she and Lou had made earlier.

"We're going on a picnic." She said, smiling. "Ahh, sounds great." Ty remembered all the great times he and Amy had had in the great outdoors. "Now we won't have to fight over who pays." Ty laughed.

Amy giggled. "You want to take the horses?" She asked. "Sure." A little while later they had Foxtrot and Harley saddled. "I figured that this is a simple way to get him used to me." Amy said, patting the horse's neck.

They rode along for a while, with Amy in the lead. Ty started to recognize where they were. "Amy...are we going to the jump course I set up for you and Spartan?" Ty asked, squinting at the trees and the path around them.

Amy looked back at him and grinned. "You got it right, Mr. Borden." She said playfully. "What's my prize?" He asked. They were nearing the old jump course now.

"Hmmm...you'll have to figure it out." Grinning, Amy hopped off of Foxtrot and tied him up to a tree. Ty did the same with Harley. They took the picnic basket that they had tied to one of the saddles down and spread the blanket along the ground.

Ty opened the basket to find an array of good food-fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits, and his favorite-caramel cake. "It looks delicious, Amy." He said.

She smiled, obviously pleased, and they began to dig in.


	3. Chapter 3 (A Little Bit of Loving)

Chapter Three: A Little Bit of Loving

Amy and Ty were done with their dinner. The contents of the picnic basket lay around them-empty plates and forks and extra food.

The sun was almost completely set, but Amy pulled two big candles out of the picnic basket. She fished around in her pocket for a box of matches. A few seconds later, they were shrouded in a little haze of candlelight.

"This has been great, Amy." Ty said into ear, making her smile. She nestled closer to him, feeling his warmth beside her. She could have sat like this all night. She felt so loved and so...home. She felt at home.

Ty looked down at her, smiling. "Whatcha thinking about?" He asked. "Everything," She said. A few seconds passed in silence. Amy continued, "Ty, do you remember when you told me that...you fell in love with me when I was working with Spartan?"

Ty nodded. "Was that true?" "Of course." He said. She looked up at him. "Do you want to know when I first fell in love with you?" She played with the V at the top of his shirt, her light touch making his skin tingle. "I didn't know there was an exact moment for you." He said.

Amy smiled. "Yes...there was. Remember that night when you punched my old boyfriend, Jesse?" Ty's jaw clenched at that thought. He remembered. "I was walking home because I got mad and you gave me a ride. I pretended to be mad...but really, I wasn't. I realized that...you weren't such a bad guy after all. I was falling in love with you..."

Ty smiled, his eyes sparkling with tears. "You're amazing." He said, kissing the tip of her nose and then her lips; a deep kiss.

When they had parted for air, Ty said, "I heard you got a new client at Heartland." Amy nodded. "Yep. You wanna help me with him?" Ty nodded. "You bet. I've really enjoyed helping you with the horses while... you know."

Amy nodded in agreement. "I've enjoyed it, too." She said. They hugged lovingly. "This date has been great." She said.

••••••••••••••••••

Caleb sat on the loft steps, drinking a beer after work. He couldn't believe what had happened yesterday with Ashley.

She had just marched right up in here and kissed him. Not that he had disliked it. It had felt...wonderful. Being back in her arms again was so comforting and warm, but he knew it wasn't right. Their marriage was done. She had made that clear enough.

Caleb got up to go get another beer from the house. As he was walking, he saw Ashley's red convertible drive up. "Oh no." He mumbled underneath his breath, even though his heartbeat was speeding up.

"Hey cowboy!" Ashley said, walking toward him. "Got a minute?" Caleb looked down at the empty beer bottle in his hand. It was obvious that he was off work and had just been relaxing. He had no excuse.

"Uh...I guess." He said awkwardly. Smiling broadly, Ashley came over and started walking close beside him as he went to the house. "Ash...about yesterday...what *was* that?" He asked.

Ashley looked at him as if she were confused. "What was what?" She asked. Caleb stopped and gave her a knowing look. "You know what I mean." He said firmly. She shrugged. "I told you I missed you...that's all."

"Ash." Caleb looked directly into her eyes. Oh, he shouldn't have done that. They were sparkling blue and so beautiful. He blinked a few times and said, "Ash this is not a game. I'm not someone you come back to to play around with. I was your *husband.*"

He started walking again and Ashley ran to catch up. "I'm not trying to play games with you!" She said. "But Caleb, it got so lonely at university. Did I tell you I'm in law school?"

"No." Caleb opened the door and went inside, making a beeline to the fridge. "Oh, well, I did. Anyway-it got lonely. I started thinking about you. We both did a lot of stupid things during our marriage-"

"Oh no, let's not go there." Caleb slammed the fridge door shut. "I was all for staying married; working things through. You were the one who went gallivanting off to college and acted like I didn't fit into your life anymore."

Caleb's fist was tight around the beer can. Talking about those days always made him a mix of angry and sad. Ashley folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, sure, maybe I should have made you feel more included in my life." She said. "But that's all over now. I'm back!"

Caleb stared at her. Yes, she was, and that was the problem.

Thanks for the reviews guys! Keep reading and if you have any ideas of what should happen, don't hesitate to let me know and I'll try to put it in for the next chapter or some part of the story!


	4. Chap 4 (Looking in all the Right Places

Chapter Four: Looking in all the Right Places

Thanks for the reviews everyone! :)

Amy slipped Foxtrot's halter off and positioned his bridle over his nose. She was wearing her tall boots and helmet today, which only meant one thing: she was English riding. It also meant that she was probably going to do a little jumping.

She led Foxtrot out into the barn aisle from his stall and tightened his girth. "Okay, buddy," She said, "Let's do this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, glancing for the first time at the text from Ty that said, "Be there in 10 minutes."

Leading Foxtrot out to the arena, she fastened her helmet just as Ty's truck pulled up. "Hey!" He said, walking towards her. "How's he doing?"

Amy was standing with the gray horse in the arena with a variety of jumps set up in it. "So far he's fine." She said. "How was work?" Ty leaned against the gate of the arena and yawned. "It was good."

"You're working too much, Ty." Amy said worriedly, walking over to him. She looked at the bags underneath his eyes and the way he looked half-asleep. "Why don't you ask Scott if you can take a few days off?"

"I'm fine, Amy. I need the hours." He said, smiling to try and reassure her. "Now go on, I want to see what this horse can do. And you, of course." Smiling, Amy mounted Foxtrot.

She eased him into a walk, and then a trot. He trotted easily, not seeming scared of the jumps or anything. "Good boy." Amy breathed, squeezing him into a canter.

They approached the first jump. Amy felt her own breathing in line with the horse's, and she pressed her heels down as she prepared to rise into two-point for the jump.

They were almost to the jump, when suddenly, something went wrong. Foxtrot saw the brightly colored, albeit small, jump, and spooked. He snorted and halted quickly. Amy grabbed onto his mane so she wouldn't fall off as he skittered sideways, obviously frightened.

"Whoa!" Ty said. "What is wrong with him?" Amy pulled up on the reins, calming him down. She got Foxtrot back into a walk and said, "He spooked at the jump. I'm not sure what's wrong."

"Are you going to try it again?" Ty asked. She shook her head no. "No, I'll try again tomorrow." Despite the fact that Amy had come a long way since her injury, she still had a little bit of work to do to get back to 100% with horses.

She hadn't been around a spooked horse since. Now she wasn't nearly as frightened as she would have been a month ago, in fact she was wasn't scared at all, only a little nervous; but she knew her limits. "Taking it one day at a time." She murmured to herself as she dismounted.

••••••••••••••••••••

Caleb tapped his fingers along the steering wheel in nervous indecision. Should he go? Should he not go? He couldn't make up his mind. If he did go, it could ruin things for him. If he didn't go, he would forever think about what could have happened.

Shutting off his truck, Caleb stuck the keys into his pocket and climbed out. He hadn't been to this place in ages. Briar Ridge. It was bustling as always. Riders were in the round pens and arenas; grooms were walking around, cars were everywhere.

Now to find Ashley. He knew that she had moved back in with her mom, Val Stanton. Which had surprised him, because Ashley had always had problems with her mother. But here she was now, living with her again.

He walked towards the main stables and approached one of the grooms. "Excuse me," he said, "Have you seen Ashley O'dell...Stanton anywhere around here?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, I saw her a few minutes ago. I think she went to her house." Caleb was just walking out of the barn towards the house when he ran smack-dab into none other than Ashley. "Hey, Ash...uh, sorry." He stammered.

"Watch where you're going, Caleb!" Ashley said irritably, wiping at the spot of spilled coffee on her vest. For a moment Caleb saw the old Ashley: spunky, independent, hot-headed. Just like him.

He grabbed his handkerchief and began wiping at the spot for her. "Sorry." He repeated. "I was looking for you, actually." Ashley looked up at him now, her eyes full of hope.

"Really?" She asked. "I'm glad to see you." Caleb looked around at all the people. "Can we go somewhere quiet to talk?" He asked.

"Sure. Let's go to the house." She grabbed his hand and started leading him in the direction of the big brick estate owned by his ex-mother-in-law.

Caleb gulped. He still wasn't sure about this.


	5. Chapter 5 (Looking Forward)

Chapter Five

Ashley pushed open the front door of the big brick house and led him into a large room with sofas and chairs and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "Sit down." She said briskly, motioning to an over-stuffed maroon armchair.

Caleb sat down, a little nervous in the grand house, and took his hat off. Ashley sat down on the couch next to him. "Uh...I don't exactly know where to start." Caleb said. "I...I know that it wasn't completely your fault that our marriage ended. But I was hurt, Ashley, big time." He swallowed and fiddled with the hat in his hands.

Ashley looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to go on. "And?" She prodded, her eyes seeming to be boring holes into his. "And...I just don't know about this." "About what?" She asked. "About you being back here. Wanting to see me; kissing me. I just don't know."

She leaned forward, placing her hand on his knee. Caleb could feel his cheeks heating up. Oh, how he had missed her..."Caleb," Ashley had been talking while he was lost in thought. He jerked to attention. "I made a mistake. The biggest mistake of my life. I ended our marriage, when all I could think about afterward was how I missed your smile and curly head of hair and you bounding in the trailer and...you. College was miserable. I'm sorry, cowboy, so sorry."

He wanted to kiss her so badly. Her face was so close to his; he could reach out and touch her cheek. He remembered all the good times they had had together. He still loved her. "Ash," He said, and his voice came out husky, "I don't want it to happen all over again."

She shook her head vigorously. "It won't. It won't. I love you Caleb; I always have." Then suddenly they were both leaning forward, embracing, and Caleb pressed his lips against hers. It was as if the weight of the world fell off his shoulders.

Maybe this was just what he needed.

Ty sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing over at the clock on the little table beside his bed. "Damn!" He said, hopping out of bed and pulling on his jeans. He was already half an hour late to work. How had he overslept?!

He pulled his phone out and dialed Amy's number as he splashed cold water on his face. Her answering machine picked up. "Hey, Amy, I might not be able to help you with Foxtrot today. I'm late for work and Scott might want me to work an extra hour or two, plus I have a lot of studying to get done. I'm sorry; I hope it goes well. Love you." He stuck his phone in his pocket, grabbed an apple for breakfast, and headed or his truck.

Yawning, he stuck the key into the ignition and rubbed at his face. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this tired.

Amy had been up for an hour already. She had already helped muck out the stalls and was now leading Foxtrot out to the ring to work with him. At the beep-beep noise her phone made, she pulled it out of her jacket pocket and saw that Ty had left her a voice mail.

Smiling slightly as she listened, she opened the arena gate and led Foxtrot in. "Guess it's just you and me today, buddy." She mounted him and led him around the ring at a walk.

She nudged him into a trot and then a canter, approaching the same jump as she had yesterday. She heard the horse's hoofbeats on the dirt, felt the rhythm of the canter as he approached the jump; the power he had.

Then all the sudden he stopped. Amy lurched forward but managed to steady herself. The whites of his eyes rolled and he moved sideways until she got him to stop. "Whoa, boy," She breathed, soothingly doing T-touch on his ears. "It's alright."

The T-touch seemed to work, as Foxtrot hung his head and took deep breaths, seeming to be calm now. "Okay, let's try this again."

As they approached the next low jump, Amy was oblivious to her phone, on silent, ringing in her pocket.

Keep reading everyone! Thanks for your support!


	6. Chapter 6 (Fear)

Chapter Six: Fear

Ty turned on the radio to a classic rock station and cranked up the volume. He was so tired. He had stayed up almost all night studying for an exam he had the next day; and now he regretted it. He could barely keep his eyes open, and he had work at the vet clinic ahead.

Blinking hard to try and stay awake, he tried to concentrate on the road ahead of him. He was almost to the clinic, only about five more miles...he yawned again. Feeling himself start to drift off to sleep, he snapped out of it and wait to himself, "Stay awake, stay awake!"

Amy cantered Foxtrot up to the next jump. She was so glad to be back to riding horses. Being around and on horses was her favorite thing in the world-she loved the wind in her hair, the sound of hoofbeats across the ground, the way her body moved in sync with the horse's.

They came up to the jump, and again, Foxtrot spooked. Except this time it was worse. He came to what horsemen and women call a "dirty stop"-where the horse stops super abruptly right before the jump, bringing the possibility of the rider toppling over his head high. Amy felt herself been launched out of the saddle, and next thing she knew, she had hit the ground with an "umph."

Wiping off her jeans, she climbed to her feet, taking a deep breath. She was okay. She really was, in fact, she wasn't nervous at all. In fact, this just made her want to work harder with Foxtrot, to get him to where he needed to be. Amy grabbed his reins and got back on the horse. "One little fall can't hurt me, can't it?" She asked, squeezing him into a walk.

A few minutes later, after Foxtrot refused another jump, Amy decided to give him a break for the rest of the day. She dismounted and led him back to the barn to un-tack him. Slipping off his saddle and saddle pad, she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Pulling it out, Amy checked the number on the glowing screen. It wasn't a number that she recognized. "Hello?" She answered.

A few seconds passed as the person on the other end of the line talked, and Amy felt her knees go weak. She leaned against Foxtrot for support and sucked in deep breaths, feeling tears come to the surface of her eyes. "Okay, alright, thank you." She murmured into the phone. "I'll be right there." Flipping the phone shut, she hurriedly put Foxtrot in his stall and ran to her truck.

Caleb walked into Maggie's Diner and Tack Shop. After a long day, all he wanted was a beer and a nice juicy burger. He sat down at one of the bar stools and was looking up at the menu when suddenly a familiar voice said, "Hey! What are you doing here?"

He looked up to see Ashley standing behind the counter. She had a big smile on her face and was wearing her waitress' uniform. Caleb cleared his throat awkwardly. No matter what Ashley said, and no matter how much he still loved and wanted her, he couldn't get past the fact that she had hurt him big time, and that their marriage was over.

"Just here for a burger." He said. She leaned down on the counter so that she was eye-level with him. "Will that be all for you?" She asked in a teasing voice. Caleb scooted back his chair and stood up. He couldn't take it anymore. Yes, he had been stupid enough to kiss Ashley that day, but he wasn't falling for her games again.

"Ash," He said, refusing to look at her face, "I...I don't want to do this, okay? It's been a while since we were together and you know how it ended. I don't want either of us getting hurt." He walked out of the diner door. As it closed shut behind him, he heard Ashley call after him, "We won't! Caleb!"

Amy could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She was clutching her phone in one hand and the steering wheel in the other. "Please, please, let him be okay." She breathed as she pulled her truck to a stop at the hospital and bounded out of the truck.

She ran inside and to the nurse's desk. "I'm Amy Fleming." She said, out of breath from running. The nurse looked up at her. "Can I help you?" She asked. "Yes, my fiancé Ty Borden is here. He just got into a wreck and..." "He's in room 204." The nurse said, smiling sympathetically as Amy raced down the hallway.

Amy came to a sudden stop in front of room 204. She looked up to see the sign hanging from the ceiling: Intensive Care Unit. Swallowing hard, she pushed open the door. The sight in front of her made her go pale, and the nurse checking the IV unit rushed over to her. "Ma'am? Are you alright?" She asked.

Amy could barely make sense of it all. There was the man she loved, lying in that sterile white hospital bed, a bandage around his head, blood all over one arm. "What happened?" She gasped, feeling the air flood back into her lungs. She knew that he had been in a wreck, but oh, it was worse than she thought.

Monitors beeped and the IV dripped. The nurse patted Amy's shoulder. "Are you Amy?" She asked. Amy nodded. "He fell asleep at the wheel. A large bus hit his truck head-on. We aren't sure...of his condition now. He has a fractured bone in his arm...and we won't know about his head injuries until he wakes up." The nurse said. Amy blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. She walked slowly over to the edge of the bed and grasped Ty's pale, still hand.

He didn't move at all. "I'll be back in a little while to check on him." The nurse said. Amy didn't respond. She waited until she heard the door close behind the nurse before she laid her head down on Ty's chest and sobbed quietly. "Please don't leave me." She whispered, although she knew that he couldn't hear her.


	7. Chapter 7 (A New Day)

Chapter Seven: A New Day

Thank you for reading. :) JPNightrun-I appreciate your honesty. I honestly have only read a handful of Heartland fanfictions and most of them were from tumblr, so I did not know that this plot point had been used a lot. I will try to make it interesting and different. :) And for the others-don't worry about Ty; keep reading and you'll find out!

Caleb groaned inwardly as he saw Ashley's BMW pull up to the Heartland ranch, where he was working and living. Hadn't he just told her that he didn't want to go through all of that mess again? He put down the pitchfork he had been using to muck out the stalls and waited for her to walk over to him.

"Howdy cowboy," She said cheerily, clasping her perfectly manicured hands in front of her. "How are you doing?" Inot so good/I, thought Caleb. ITy got into a car accident yesterday and now you've shown up again./I All he said was, "Okay."

She smiled at him. "You need help with...whatever you're doing?" He shook his head. "I've got it under control." "Honestly Caleb, you're so stubborn." Her voice sounded exasperated, but she stepped forward and brushed a bit of dirt off of Caleb's cheek. It's kind of cute, actually." She said.

"You just don't give up, do you?" Caleb asked. He went back to mucking out Spartan's stall, and Ashley followed. "No, I don't!" She said, her voice raising. "Not when it's someone I love." Caleb whirled around and looked Ashley square in the eyes. "If you loved me so much, why did you end our marriage? Why did you go off to college and practically try any way to keep me out of your life? Why did you hurt me?"

His expression was a mixture of hurt and coldness. Ashley's mouth opened and then closed again, as if she had nothing to say. After a few seconds he turned around and began his work again. "Why don't you just go, Ash?" He could hear her fumbling in her purse for something. She stuck it on the stall door and said, "Just read it, okay? Please?"

Caleb stood still, not saying a word. He waited until she had walked back to her car and the sound of it was drifting away before he looked at what she had left for him. It was a folded up piece of paper. He picked it up and looked at it. Writing in Ashley's girly handwriting, was a letter to him. It was dated for, a few months after they had ended the marriage.

Caleb felt emotions wash over him, good and bad and everything in between, as he sat down on an over-turned bucket and began reading.

"Dear Caleb,

I don't know exactly how to say all of this. It's been heavy on my mind for weeks-months-now. I want to start out by saying that I loved you, Caleb. I still love you. And if you ever doubted that, I'm sorry. I loved being married to you. Sure, we had our ups and downs. We fought, but we always made up. Yes Being married to you was some of the happiest times of my life.

Then I got a taste of something a little different. Paris, and then college. I was stupid enough to believe that college would change me somehow. And it did, of course, I'm a lawyer now-but not in the ways I was thinking. I thought it would make me-I don't know, more sophisticated and wealthy and more up to my mother's standards. But the whole time I was there, after you left, I was thinking about you. Missing you. Wondering how you were doing.

But every time we would talk, we'd just argue and fight. It wasn't getting any better, only worse. I felt helpless about our relationship and marriage, and with Mom's prodding of course, I just ended it. Afterward I felt terrible; worse than before, and horrible over how it ended.

I know I've hurt you Caleb, but please, can we try to fix this? Fix us?

Love,

Ashley"

Caleb sat and stared at the letter for a long while. Maybe Ashley cared about him more than he thought. Sticking the paper in his pocket, he stood up and went to the house for a drink.

Amy was sleeping in the sitting-up position, curled up in a chair by Ty's bedside, when voices talking from nearby woke her up. She groggily opened her eyes. Blinking, she tried to remember where she was. The memories came rushing back to her, and she stood up rapidly, ignoring the aching in her neck and joints.

"Ty?" She said out loud, squeezing his limp hand as her heartbeat sped up with fear. She looked up to see Grandpa, Lou, and Tim, and Georgie all standing at the end of the bed. "Hey, Amy," Grandpa said, "sorry to wake you up." Amy sat back down slowly, reality creeping it's way back into her brain.

"It's okay." She said. "So...have the doctors told you anything?" She looked at Lou's slightly worried face and Grandpa's sympathetic one, trying to find something out just from their expressions. Tim sipped on a travel mug of coffee and shrugged his shoulders. "They said something about how there was a 50/50 chance he may have something wrong with his brain." He said loudly. "I'd say they're pretty stupid to me, I mean he already has a big bandage around his head. Hellllooo how more obvious can you get?"

Everyone was staring at Tim now. Grandpa looked ticked off beyond measure, Lou's mouth was open in shock, and Georgie looked like she didn't know what was going on. Amy sucked in deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm. Grandpa seemed to realize and he placed his strong hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright, Amy." He said. "There's a 50% chance nothing more will be wrong than a busted arm."

Amy nodded, trying to stay collected and hopeful. "Do you want something to eat?" Lou asked. "I know hospitals don't usually have very good food but I've heard the food here is excellent." Amy shook her head, knowing how Lou would always be Lou-overprotective but meaning well.

"I'm not hungry, Lou, thank you." She said. They stayed a little bit longer and then left. "We'll be back, Amy. Don't you worry." Grandpa said into her ear as they went out of the door. As the door closed, Amy turned back to Ty and laid her head on the edge of the bed.

A 50/50 chance. That meant that Ty's whole future was resting on that chance. "Please." She pleaded out loud. She didn't exactly know what she was pleading for, only that she wanted the usual Ty back-happy, slightly stressed our about college, but always ready with advice and a hug. She wanted that Ty back, not the cold, pale one lying in front of her.

She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. It was the only state in which she didn't her worries.


	8. Chapter 8 (Slow and Steady)

Chapter Seven: Slow and Steady

Amy had been staying by Ty's bedside for the last day. It had been really hard on her; the suspense; the wondering. She didn't know what was going to happen when Ty woke up.

Grandpa had come to check on Ty and she again, bringing a bag of clothes and essentials for Amy and a basket of home-cooked food. Amy was very grateful, and she ate a bite out of a muffin in jack's presence, but when he left, she pushed the food away. She just wasn't hungry.

She had stayed awake almost all of the previous night; the day of the accident. Now she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She wanted to stay awake but she couldn't force herself, and soon she was drifting off to sleep.

It seemed she had only been asleep for a few moments when she awoke with a start. Voices were buzzing around her, and she looked up to see two nurses standing over the hospital bed.

"Hello, Miss Fleming," One of them said with a flustered smile, "We're just changing your boyfriend's IV bag and checking his blood pressure and heart rate." "He's my fiancé." Amy mumbled, sitting up straight.

They didn't hear her and continued to go about their work. Ty laid motionless as they inserted a new IV needle into his arm. Amy winced. She had never liked hospitals.

"Do you need anything?" One of the nurses asked. Amy shook her head. "No, thank you." They left, and Amy began straightening the thin white sheets on the bed.

She walked to the window and looked out. Cars were flying past on the street below; the sun was high in the sky. Life was moving on as usual. It wouldn't for her, however, if Ty wasn't alright.

She was lost in her own thoughts when suddenly, she thought she heard something. Yes, she did! "Amy..." Ty's voice groaned. He coughed once and then again as Amy dashed to his bedside.

"Ty, Ty, thank God." Amy smoothed back his hair and grabbed his hand. His eyes fluttered open and he blinked a few times, as if trying to focus his vision. Meanwhile, Amy was grasping his hand, leaning over him with a half-hopeful, half-anxious expression on her face.

"I'm here." She said, smoothing the hospital gown across his chest. "Can you hear me, Ty?" Amy watched, her heart pounding in her chest, as Ty turned his head slowly towards her.

His eyes seemed to focus on her face and he just stared at her for a few moments. "Ty, please, say something!" Amy pleaded, not realizing that she was grasping his hand tightly. "Amy..." Ty mumbled, "You're squeezing my hand."

Amy dropped his hand quickly and felt the tears she had been holding back fall in utter relief. She leaned forward, and despite the IV tubes and all, kissed her fiancé on the cheek. "Oh, Ty," She breathed, "I was so scared..."

"What happened to me?" Ty asked, poking at the hospital gown and the bandage around his head. "You were in a car accident." Amy explained. "The doctors...they...thought you might have brain damage." She leaned down and kissed him again on the cheek, so happy and relieved.

"Brain damage?" Ty blinked rapidly. Suddenly the nurse walked in. "Oh my goodness!" She said. "Look at our patient here!" She hurried over to Ty's bedside and began checking his vitals. A few minutes later she stood back and looked at Amy.

"I've never seen anything like it." She said, smiling. "Besides that busted arm of his, he is fine. Well-he has a concussion, so that should be looked after for a while. And I'm sure the doctor will want him to stay overnight for further testing."

"Okay, alright." Amy agreed, standing up and walking with the nurse to the door. Once they got there, Amy asked, "Are you sure this isn't like...a fluke or something? He truly is okay?" The nurse nodded, squeezing Amy's shoulder.

"You have yourself a fighter there." She said. "Like I said, besides the arm and the concussion, he seems perfectly alright to me. I'll send the doctor in here to check on him in a few minutes." She left, and Amy turned back to Ty.

"Ty...does anything hurt?" She asked him, lovingly running her hand across his cool forehead. "No...well, I have a bit of a headache and my arm hurts if I move it." He said, yawning. Amy laughed. It felt so good to do that. "So I guess something *does* hurt." She said.

"Oh, I'm just so glad that you're okay. I was so worried."

Caleb stared at the letter in his hands. He had read it three times since that afternoon at the barn with Ashley, and now he didn't know what to do.

Should he call her and invite her over, or should she get the wrong impression from that? Then again, what impression exactly was she *supposed* to get?

He paced around the loft for an hour or so, worrying about Ty and Ashley, before he finally picked up his cell phone. He went to his favorites and stared down at Ashley's number-still there from when they had been married. He had never been very high-tech.

He clicked it and typed in a text. "Hey Ash," It read, "Want to come over for dinner tomorrow night? If you can, meet me here at seven."

Swallowing nervously, he pressed the send button. "Well, that's done." He said as he saw the red "sent" icon flash across the screen. It couldn't be undone now.


	9. Chapter 9 (Recovery of the Broken)

Thanks for reading; all opinions are appreciated! I try to update everyday but sometimes w/school and homework and horses I don't have time; but I will try to! :)

Chapter Nine: Recovery of the Broken

Caleb felt bad for feeling glad that everyone was out of the house that evening. Ty and Amy were still at the hospital, of course, and he hadn't heard anything new about Ty.

Jack had gone to pick up a load of feed and Lou and Peter were at a parent-teacher conference for Georgie, which she was obligated to attend as well. That left the house nice and empty.

Caleb wasn't much of a cook, but he flipped through Lou's recipe book until he found an easy one-lasagna-and whipped that up quickly. Adding to it a salad and the pie he had picked up from the best bakery in town, and they were set.

He put a nice tablecloth on the kitchen table and placed two long white candles in the middle, along with a nice bouquet of wildflowers. "There," He said, admiring his creation, "It looks good." He caught a glimpse of his reflection. Old jeans, boots, faded plaid shirt, hair slightly mussed.

He raked a hair through his hair and smoothed out his shirt. He had no time to change, and besides, Ashley knew what he looked like. Then there came a knock to the door. Steadily himself with a deep breath, he opened it.

There Ashley stood, a little black dress highlighting her curves. She was smiling up at him, her blond hair framing her face perfectly. He blinked, feeling his heart rate speed up. "Uh...you look really nice." He stammered. "Thanks." She said. "You don't look so bad yourself."

Caleb felt a little self-conscious of his everyday wear, but he let Ashley inside and pulled out her chair for her. "My, something smells good." She said, sitting down. "It's lasagna." Caleb sat the platter down on the table, grinning. "Looks delicious. Did you make it yourself?"

"Yeah." Caleb sat down and served her a plate of food. "I'm impressed." Ashley smiled at him again, and he was captivated by her across the table. He remembered the letter and her confessions of love for him and admitting her mistake.

He felt himself leaning forward and brushing Ashley's cheek with his hand. "I've missed you, Ash." He said lowly. "Oh, I've missed you, too, Cowboy. All I ever wanted was for things to go back to normal."

"Alright!" The doctor repositioned his reading glasses on the end of his nose and flipped Ty's medical chart shut. "He's cleared to leave today. You have yourself one lucky fiancé, Miss Fleming." He said.

Amy smiled, looking down at Ty. "I know." She said. The doctor rattled some more information off about getting enough sleep and keeping his arm elevated, and then he left. Amy turned to Ty. "Did you hear that?!" She asked, excited. "You can get out of the hospital today!"

"I know; it's great." He said, smiling. "Now would you help me out of this damn bed?"

A few hours later Amy was driving Ty back to Heartland. Ty had wanted to drive, but Amy had insisted. He kept stroking her hand lovingly all throughout the car ride, letting her know without words how much he cared about her.

She helped Ty carry his one bag of stuff up to the loft. Turning to him, she said, "Is it good to be back home?" "Definitely." He said. He closed the distance between them in one step and kissed Amy passionately. The bandage on his head had been removed before leaving the hospital, and only large cuts remained.

When they parted for breath, Amy gasped, "Ty, what's gotten into you, you tease..." She grinned. Ty smiled shyly. "I just...watching you there in the hospital taking care of me. I love you." Before she could respond, he had kissed her again. His hands traveled up through her hair.

Then he began kissing her neck. "Ty Borden!" Amy said jokingly. She could feel him grinning in her neck as he sucked at the skin. "You are so beautiful..." He murmured, massaging her back with one hand. "Are you sure you're not hurting your arm?" Amy asked worriedly.

"No, no, I'm fine, love." He kissed her again, banishing all of her doubts.

To be Continued


	10. Chapter 10 (Boundaries)

Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! Heartlandfan101: school is going well although geometry is not my strong suit, lol.

Tell me: how soon would you like a Ty and Amy marriage in my story in the terms of chapters? Thanks!

Chapter Ten: Boundaries

Amy could feel her heartbeat speed up as Ty pulled her even closer to him, if that was possible, and looked into her eyes. She loved him so much...

"Ty..." She whispered. "I don't know what I would do without you." "You don't have to know." He answered, his hand that wasn't in the cast moving to sit squarely on her butt as he kissed her cheek.

Amy blushed at that. They began kissing again. In the heat of the moment, one thing led to another, and a few seconds later, Amy found herself with no shirt on. She looked at Ty. He was bare-chested.

She smiled, running her fingers over Ty's collarbones. Ty kissed her stomach and over her bra, tugging at the lace on it, making her sigh happily as he went.

Amy was thoroughly enjoying this. They hardly got any alone time just to be together, even if it was just to talk and steal a kiss. "Ooh Ty..." Amy said as he kissed at a spot on her neck that left her wanting more.

But Amy knew when to pull back. They were in the loft, and besides, Ty had just gotten back from the hospital. Plus, they had made a sort of commitment to each other to save "that act" for the first night of marriage. With the way things were going now, if they didn't watch out, they would break their commitment.

She pulled back and looked Ty in the eyes. "I love you, Ty." She said, hugging him tightly. "We've got to stop for now." She could see the disappointment in his eyes as he straightened and put his shirt back on.

Amy did the same. "I know." He said. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have let it go this far. I'm serious about waiting as well...besides, with this arm..." They both laughed and kissed again.

"Boy," Ty said as they were walking out of the loft, "That was hot." Amy blushed and playfully swatted him.

Ty chuckled and put his arm around his fiancée lovingly.

They walked into the barn and Amy saw Foxtrot, standing in his stall and eating from his hay net. "Hey, boy." Amy petted him. He hadn't been ridden since the accident. "I'll have to get back working with you soon."

Caleb and Ashley were finished with dinner and just sitting there in the candlelight with their pie. "Dinner was great, Caleb." Ashley said seriously. "Thank you."

He nodded. "No problem." They sat in silence for a while before Caleb said, "Ash, if we do...get back in a relationship...or whatever this is, I want to take it slow, okay?"

Ashley nodded. "Okay." "No, I'm serious." He said. "That letter you wrote me was really...eye-opening, I guess, but I don't trust you yet, Ash." Caleb watched Ashley's face. She folded and then unfolded her hands and nodded quietly.

"So...if you agree to take this slow, I'd like to ask you out to dinner again next Friday night." He said. Ashley looked up at him, smiling. "I'd love to go." She said. "Great. Pick you up at 6?" "Sounds good."


	11. Chapter 11 (Taking it Slow)

Thank you GKB and Heartlandfan101! I'll try! :) And thank you to everyone else for your reviews and ideas of when the wedding should be; much appreciated!

Chapter Eleven: Making Plans

Amy led Foxtrot back to the barn after what she felt like was a successful session with him. He had done well-he hadn't spooked too badly or thrown her off, and she had even managed to get him to walk over a low fence.

"Good boy," She said, patting him as she took off his saddle. She checked her phone worriedly. There had been no calls or texts from Ty while she had been working. She was concerned about him because today, three days after he came home from the hospital, he had gone back to college classes and work.

She knew that all was wrong with him now was a broken arm and slight headaches left over from the concussion, but she couldn't help but worry. She fed Foxtrot a carrot as she grabbed a sweatscraper and a curry comb to start grooming him.

That Friday night, Caleb pulled up at Briar Ridge. They were just going to Maggie's, but Caleb somehow felt nervous about this date. He climbed out of his truck and walked to the Stanton house.

A few seconds after he rang the doorbell, standing on the huge porch feeling uncomfortable, Ashley opened the door. As always she looked pretty-tonight she was wearing jeans and a simple pink blouse. "Hey, Ash." He said.

"Hi. You're actually on time." She covered her mouth after she said it, embarrassed. "Uh...I didn't mean that how it sounded." She said. "I just meant...you know..." Caleb held up his hand. "It's okay." He said. "Let's go eat."

Meanwhile, Ty and Amy were sitting on the porch of his trailer. Ty was drinking a beer and Amy a ginger-ale, and they were discussing how their week had gone.

"Foxtrot has been good this week." Amy said. "I've worked with him three times, and all three he hasn't spooked badly." "That's great." Ty said, but he seemed a little distracted.

The sun was setting low over the ridge, creating a pretty setting. "So tell me how your week went." Amy said. Ty seemed to take a moment to come to reality. "Oh...um, it was good." He said. "Classes went as usual, and work went well. We've been pretty busy at the clinic."

They fell silent for a while until Amy said, "How have you been feeling?" Ty didn't answer as he stared off into the distance. "Ty?" "Oh, I'm sorry; what?" He asked. Amy smiled. "What have you been thinking about this whole time?" She asked, curious about what was going on in the mind of her fiancé.

"I've been thinking about that ranch." Ty admitted. "And how much I want to buy it...for it to become ours." He looked at Amy seriously. She nodded, squeezing his hand. "I know what you mean." She said.

"I think about that ranch a lot, too." Ty smiled at her. For a second his eyes searched hers; looking for something in those blue depths that he couldn't seem to find. "You know what else I think a lot about?" He asked.

"What?" "Getting married...being married to you." He said. His voice was serious. Amy looked down at the engagement ring on her finger. She thought about it, as well, she just wasn't sure when it should be.

She was busy with the client horses and Ty was still in college..."Amy?" Ty's voice prodded her. "Well...I think about it, too, Ty." She said. "And there is nothing more that I want than to be married to you."

They kissed briefly. Amy wasn't sure what Ty was expecting from that conversation-her to set a date, or discuss wedding plans, or say "not now"-or what. Either way, he seemed to be satisfied.

Caleb and Ashley sat in the car quietly by the Stanton house for a long while. The dinner had gone well. They had talked about their work and life and joked around a bit. Caleb had enjoyed it a lot. It had felt like old times...only better. They had both matured and grown up some.

Ashley put her hand on the door handle. "Thank you for dinner." She said. "It was great." "Aw, it was just Maggie's." Caleb said gruffly. "But you're welcome." Ashley hesitated, as if she had something to say.

"What is it?" He asked. "I just..wanted to say I was sorry. For that day when I barged into Heartland and kissed you. I shouldn't have played with your emotions like that and I apologize."

She turned her head towards the window. Caleb knew how hard apologies had always been for the stubborn woman sitting beside him. Swallowing hard, he said slowly, "Well...I wouldn't mind if you kissed me now."

She turned towards him, disbelief on her face. Seeing Caleb's willing expression, she put one hand on his chest and pressed her lips on his.

When they broke apart, Caleb said, "I'm trying to take it slow here but maybe it isn't working." Ashley giggled. "Don't worry, cowboy." She said. "I've got your back."


	12. Chapter 12 (Visitors)

Chapter Twelve: Visitors

Amy geared Foxtrot toward the first jump and squeezed her lower legs, urging over the jump. He tossed his head but after a second, sailed over it. "Good boy!" Amy praised, patting his neck enthusiastically. They went around the course, jumping jump after jump.

The jumps were low, but Amy was still very pleased. When they came to a halt, Amy patted Foxtrot again. Smiling broadly, she looked up to see Ashley's red BMW rolling into the Heartland driveway.

"That's weird." She said out loud, leading Foxtrot out of the arena. He had done well for today. She dismounted and watched as Ashley hopped out of the car and walked towards the barn. When she saw Amy, she waved. "Hey, Amy!" She said. "Nice to see you!"

Amy waved back. "I haven't seen you in a while, Ashley. How are you?" Everyone knew what Ashley had done to Caleb, but still, of course Amy was nice and friendly to her.

"I'm fine. Hey, do you know where Caleb is?" Ashley asked, sticking her hands in the pockets of her brand name skinny jeans. "Uh…yeah, I think he's out fixing fence with Grandpa." She said.

At that, Ashley looked a bit crestfallen. "Oh well," She said, "I'll catch him later. Thanks, Amy!" She went back to her car and rolled down the driveway. Shrugging, Amy went to put Foxtrot out in the paddock with all of the other horses.

"The oddest thing happened today." Amy said to Ty that evening as they were mucking out stalls together. Sometimes Ty came over just to chat while Amy was doing barn chores and he ended up helping, as well. Tonight had been one of those nights.

"What happened?" He asked, looking up at her from a stall. "Well, Ashley stopped by. She was looking for Caleb and she actually looked….happy. Like she wanted to see him." Amy said.

Ty seemed to think about that for a moment. "You know, Caleb dropped by the trailer the other day." He said. "He seemed happier, too. He said something about him going on a date that night. I wonder…" He and Amy both turned and looked at each other at the same time.

"No!" Amy said, disbelief on her face. "That can't be. You remember how Ashley hurt him!" Ty shrugged. "I don't know." He said. "He was pretty head-over-heels for her. He could have gone back to her." They continued mucking out in silence for a while.

Amy got a mischievous grin on her face as she walked around to the stall Ty was mucking out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Resting her head on his neck, she said playfully, "Are you head-over-heels for me?" Ty smiled and kissed her forehead gently. "You know I am." He said. "I'm head-over-heels for you, Mr. Borden." Amy whispered. They had just started to kiss when they heard some scuffling nearby.

They ignored it until a voice said, "Uh…oh, sorry." Sighing, Amy stood up and straightened her shirt. She was very surprised at who she saw standing in the doorway. "Shane?" She said, walking towards him. "What are you doing here?"


	13. Chapter 13 (Smoke Rings)

Chapter Thirteen

Thanks for the reviews everyone!

They were all sitting around the dinner table that night-Grandpa, Tim, Amy, Ty, Lou, Peter, Georgie, and Shane. It had been kind of a quiet dinner so far. Shane's presence hadn't really been explained yet.

When he had walked into the barn earlier that afternoon, he had just said, "Hey guys," and asked where Tim was. He hadn't been back to Heartland in so long; Amy hardly recognized him. He had grown up; he was taller and his voice was deeper. She was even sure she saw a little bit of stubble on his chin.

Jack cleared his throat. "So, Shane," He said, looking across the table kindly at the young man, "What brings you here?" Shane shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know." He said. "Just felt like paying a visit." Jack nodded slowly, watching him for a while before he went back to eating.

Amy knew that he was thinking what they were all thinking: had Shane run away from home again? And why had he come back to Heartland? "Shane, will you pass the potatoes?" Tim asked, gesturing toward the bowl with his hand. He didn't seem very phased by his son's visit. He had seemed surprised at first, but now it was like he just accepted that Shane had come to visit and he was perfectly fine with it.

Shane stared down at the potatoes. "Why don't you get them yourself?" He asked rudely. Tim's head jerked up, a shocked expression crossing his features. "Excuse me?" He asked sharply. "Am I sure I just heard what I think I heard? You…" "Uh…Tim…" Jack butted in, looking uncomfortable. "Let's not go there right now."

"Yeah, Dad, I'm sure Shane has had a long day." Lou said, looking at the young man worriedly in her motherly fashion. Shane was staring at his plate, his gaze dark. Tim settled back into his chair, disgruntled. Ty quietly passed him the potatoes and they continued with dinner.

Later that night, Amy walked into the barn to make sure everything was alright with the horses before she went to bed. As she petted Spartan and fed him a sugar cube from her pocket, she started smelling smoke. "What is that…?" She said out loud, beginning to worry about the barn being on fire.

Hurriedly she raced around the barn, checking the hay nets and the tack and feed room. Nothing. Then she looked up at the loft. The loft door was open and smoke was seeping out of the doorway. Taking the steps two at a time, she ran up to find Shane sitting on the bed, smoking a cigarette.

"Shane!" She said. "What do you think you're doing?" He looked up quickly, stamping the cigarette out in his hand and not even wincing as he did so. "What do you want?" He asked irritably. "Who do you think you are, just barging up here like that?"

Amy's anger began to rise. "Shane, you're not supposed to be smoking!" She said. "You can't tell me what to do." He said stubbornly. Amy threw her hands up in frustration. "Fine, whatever, but don't do it in here. You could catch something on fire easily. So go outside if you want to do that."

He shrugged and threw the cigarette on the ground. Amy looked at it, sighed heavily, and went back downstairs. So much for the Shane they used to know coming back around.

Amy hopped out of her truck when she got to Ty's trailer. She realized that this place had become sort of the second loft for her. At first she thought of Ty as the-boy-in-the-loft, and now he was her-man-in-the-trailer. She smiled at the thought as she went and knocked on his door.

It swung open and Ty greeted her with a peck on the lips. "Hey," She said. "How are you doing?" She regarded the sling on his arm with carefulness as she moved past him to get a ginger ale from the mini fridge. They had made this-sitting outside on the porch and chatting-their dates normally. They enjoyed it and it was easy enough to do with their busy schedules.

"I'm good. How are you?" He asked. "I'm doing well. Come on, let's go sit outside." They went and sat on the rickety porch chairs. It was another nice night, although the sun had almost set all the way. Ty had brought his anatomy book out with him, although he knew he probably wasn't going to get any studying done.

It was hard to study when you had the first you loved sitting right in front of you. "So," He said, "Have you thought about any wedding plans?" Amy thought for a few seconds.  
"You know," She said, "I was never one of those little girls who obsessively planned their wedding." "Like Lou." Ty said jokingly, and they shared a laugh.

"Yes, like Lou." She said. "But lately I've been thinking about it more often. I think that I'd like to have it nice and simple, outdoors maybe…with horses involved. Of course, if that's okay with you." Ty draped his arm around her shoulders. "Sounds great to me." He said.

"So do you think it should be sooner rather than later?" Ty prodded. Amy smiled. "I don't know, Ty." She said. "You're still in school and I'm busy at Heartland. Are you sure we're ready to get married right now?" "Amy, I don't want to wait until after I'm done with school." He said, sitting up.

"And we've been engaged for a year and a half. I think we're ready." Amy was silent for a long while. Ty turned her face towards his, and said, "Come on now, what's really wrong?"

Amy sighed. He knew her so well. "It's just…I always thought my mom would be here to see me get married and…grow up, I guess." She blinked away the hot tears that threatened to spill over. "And now she won't."

Ty drew her near to him and hugged her tightly. "I know." He said. "I know it's hard. But your mom would be so proud of you. You took Heartland and made it such a success-more so than when she was running it. And you are marrying a wonderful guy." He said the last part jokingly, but Amy sniffled and laughingly said, "You are wonderful."

He smiled into her hair. "Also, we have lots of relatives and friends that will be at the wedding, but also to have our backs throughout the rest of our lives. Nothing can change that." He held her for a long while before sitting back up.

Amy smiled at him. "You're right." She said. "I have just one condition. Lou can't get obsessively involved in the wedding plans." "I agree!" Ty said, and they laughed again.


	14. Chapter 14 (Eyes on the Prize)

Chapter Fourteen: Eyes on the Finish

"Grandpa, have you seen Shane?" Amy closed the screen door and peeled off her raincoat. Heavy rain was pelting the roof of the Heartland house, and Amy was soaked. Jack was sitting in his armchair reading the newspaper, his glasses low on his nose.

"No, I haven't seen him." He said, standing up. "I hope he's not into some trouble. You sit down to read the paper for five minutes…" He walked off grumbling to go find him. Amy hadn't seen him all day. When she woke up that morning, Shane was gone, although a pile of half-smoked cigarettes were lying on the loft floor to tell her he had spent the night there.

Taking off her boots, Amy got herself a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table. She had been so busy that day, she had hardly stopped to take a break or eat. She had ridden Foxtrot, who was coming along nicely. He wasn't spooking at the low fences anymore at all, and Amy thought that tomorrow or the next day she would try him over some taller and wider ones.

Then she had taken Spartan on a nice trail ride. She hadn't done that in a while and it felt great. She had only wished Ty had been able to come along, but he was at work. She walked into her room. Beginning to organize the stuff on her desk, her eyes came across something that looked unfamiliar.

"What is this..." She murmured, picking it up. It was a wedding magazine, full of dresses and bouquets and ideas for the venue. "Lou!" She said, smiling knowingly. Lou had never been very subtle with her hints.

Caleb picked himself up from the dirt, taking a second to regain his breath and put his hat back on before he yelled, "That was awesome! Let's do it again!" The bucking bronco had bucked him right off into the dirt after a few seconds, but it was something that always gave Caleb an adrenaline rush. It was the most fun way that he knew of to make money-the rodeo, that is.

"No, I think that'll be it for today." One of Caleb's rodeo buddies said. They had been practicing today, but he yawned and said, "I'm tired and I need to study." "Dude, college is making you lame." Caleb said, clapping him on the back as they handed the horse off to another guy to be put out to pasture and went to their trucks.

Ben, Caleb's friend, shrugged. "My mom is making me go." He said. "She said if this rodeo thing doesn't work out, I can always fall back on a business degree." Caleb chuckled and shook his head. College just wasn't his thing; he could tell that from the months he'd spent following Ashley around while she was at college.

The thought made him wince, but also become happy inside. Ashley. The name had gone from making him ridiculously happy, to angry and disillusioned, to happy again. He wasn't exactly sure what to think about it. All he knew was he was glad it had happened.

"Ty, I thought we could do something different today instead of going over to your trailer. How about when you get off of work you meet me at the house? Love you, bye." Amy left the message on Ty's voicemail and looked at the overwhelming stacks of wedding magazines and website suggestions that Lou had given her.

Amy had gone to Lou intending to tease her about putting the wedding magazine in her room on the sly, but she had left with an armful of wedding information. She hadn't exactly _asked_ for it, but that was okay. It could always be fun to look through them with Ty, even if they didn't end up using anything from them.

A few hours later she and Ty were sitting in the living room, the stack of magazines sitting in between them on the couch. "Who gave you all this stuff?" Ty asked, looking at the stack. "Guess." Amy said. Grinning, he said, "I should have known. Lou." Amy nodded. "Yeah. I didn't really ask for them, but they'll be fun to look at, right?"

"Absolutely." He picked up one and flipped through it, coming to picture of a wedding that was in a castle. "Hey, look at that." He said. "We could have a wedding like that." Amy laughed. "I don't think so." She said. "Yeah, I don't think so, either." He said.

They continued flipping through the magazines. Amy grew tired of looking at the elaborate settings and catered wedding foods. "Ty," She said, "I don't know about you, but I want the wedding to be simple. With just our close family and friends, you know? Not four hundred people and maybe outside...and we could just have snacks and dancing afterwards."

Ty nodded thoughtfully. "I like that idea." He said. "Hey, you know where we could have it?" He asked, growing excited. "Where?" "The old jump course. I love that place." Ty said, turning to face her. "Oh, that would be so nice!" Amy said. "We could just move the jumps out of the way for the wedding and then set them back up, right?"

"Right." Lou walked into the room just then, carrying Katie on her hip. "Hey," She said, looking suspiciously at Amy and Ty as they immediately stopped talking, "What have you two been up to?"

"Oh, nothing," Amy said, trying to hide her excitement. "Just looking at these catalogues." Lou smiled. "If you guys need any help with the wedding, any at all…ask…" "I will, Lou." Amy said. "Thanks."

She left, and Amy turned back to Ty. "Let's start planning now." She said.

"One, two, three" Amy counted the strides underneath her breath as they approached the jump. She had set up the taller jumps today for Foxtrot, and she was hoping for good things from him today-like no spooks.

Pushing her weight into her heels and rising up into two-point position, she felt Foxtrot rising up over the jump. When he had come back down on the other side, Amy dropped the reins for a second of pure happiness, patting him soundly on the neck. "Good boy!" She said.

He seemed fine with the jumps now. Amy had never figured out exactly what had been the source of his problem, but after a few weeks work with her he was doing just fine. She figured in another two or three days he would be good to go to return to his owner.

They jumped over three more jumps nicely before Amy slowed him down to a sitting trot. She cooled him off and dismounted, leading him back to the barn.

Yesterday she and Ty had set the date tentatively of their wedding as a month from now. They had decided that they didn't want a huge or over-elaborate wedding, and they didn't want it to take forever to plan. Even though Ty was still in college, they wanted to move forward with their life as a couple. And Amy had realized that the busyness at Heartland shouldn't make her prolong the wedding date; she would just have to find a way to work her schedule so everything would fit.

Amy knew that if she let the planning go on too long, then Lou would try to take over completely, even if she was just trying to help.

"You did well today, Foxtrot." Amy said, rubbing his muzzle as she slipped off his saddle and saddle pad. She was so excited for what was to come.


	15. Chapter 15 (Oxers and Attics)

Chapter Fifteen: Oxers and Attics

Caleb was walking along the main street of Hudson, carrying a bag of horse feed over one shoulder and a to-go cup of coffee from Maggie's in his other hand. He had gone to see Ashley last night. They had just had a quiet chat in the park, because she wanted to get away from Briar Ridge but there was really nowhere else they could go without very many people. It had been nice.

"Caleb! Caleb O'Dell!" At the sound of his name being yelled, he turned around and tried to see who was calling him. "Val…" He muttered, sighing. Why did she always have to show up at the most inopportune times? He was going to be late for practicing with Ben if she held him up for too long.

"Hey, Mrs. Stanton," Caleb said. Since he and Ashley were divorced, after all, he wasn't sure if it was proper to keep calling her by her first name. She didn't look that happy this morning. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and an unpleasant expression of displeasure was upon her face. "I want to know what you think you're doing, trying to date my daughter again." She snapped as she got closer to Caleb.

He was taken-aback, although he knew he shouldn't be. Very rarely was the lady ever nice to him. "I don't know where you got that idea, Mrs. Stanton." Caleb said. "Ashley and I are just catching up, that's all. We haven't seen each other in a while and we're just talking."

"For God's sake, stop calling me that!" Val said, slapping her thigh. "I don't know if you think I am stupid or what, but I know you two aren't just talking." She continued. "I see the way Ashley gets all excited for your little…chats. I don't know what load of crap you're telling her, but stop!"

She turned on her heel and walked back down the street at a brisk pace. Caleb turned around slowly, not knowing what to think. He knew one thing for sure: he wasn't going to let Val Stanton get in between him and Ashley again. Not this time.

Tim pulled his truck to a stop at the Heartland ranch and climbed out. He and Jack were going to check on their cows and sheep today. Although he thought he had better things to do than chase around Jack's old herd of cows, he decided he'd better go anyway. The old man was getting too old to do that sort of work.

"Jack!" He called, walking into the barn. He figured Jack would be in here since-well, he was pretty much always in the barn if he wasn't out working somewhere else. There was no answer. "Jack, where are you?" He called again. "Good gosh, where is that old…"

"Hey." Tim looked up at the sound of a vaguely familiar voice. "Oh, hey, Shane," He said, absentmindedly looking past his son, "Have you seen Jack? I can't find him." Tim did a double-take and looked back at Shane. There was a lit cigarette stuck between his teeth.

He drew in a big breath and let out a whirl of smoke. Tim swatted it away with his hands. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Shane said flatly, flicking ash off with the end of his finger. "You listen here son; you're living under my roof…" "I am not living under your roof! This is Heartland, not your house." Shane interrupted.

"Does your mother even know you're here? Have you called her?" Tim asked. Shane stared at him blankly. Tim threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "She's probably worried sick." He said. "Why do you care?" Shane's voice was dull. "What do you mean why do I care?!" Tim asked, growing more irritated by the second. "_You _should care!"

"What is going on in here?" Jack walked in, carrying a jacket and a thermos of water. He looked between Tim and Shane and shook his head. Shane had quickly thrown the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out before Jack could see it. Tim glared at his son. "Nothing that can't be worked out with a few hard days work from Shane and a phone call to his mom." He said.

Jack shook his head, bothered and ready to go. "I don't know what went on in here, but we've got to get a move on." He said. "Shane, I need you to muck out the stalls while I'm gone." They left and Shane, sighing, pulled another cigarette out of his pocket.

Amy walked up the steps late that night, taking each step slowly and carefully. It was almost midnight and she didn't want to wake anyone up-especially Lou. Creeping to the attic door, she opened it and slipped inside. Flipping on the lights, she let her eyes adjust to the brightness of them and coughed a little at the dust.

There were boxes and old furniture everywhere. She stumbled around until she found the big box that said, "Marion's room." That meant that all of the stuff that came out of that big box had come from her mother's room when they had cleaned it out. Some stuff they had donated, or sold, but a lot of things they had kept.

Including the one thing she was looking for. She searched around in the box until she found it. The smaller box that contained her mother's wedding dress. Smiling, her wiped the thin layer of dust off of the top of the box and looked at the bright white fabric below.

She was so excited to try it on. Amy hadn't thought much about what wedding dress she would wear, but she had been thinking about it. She had decided that instead of having to dress shop and spend money on another dress, why not wear her mother's dress? It was beautiful and it meant a lot to her because her mother had worn it.

She grabbed the box and crept back down the stairs to her room. Carefully, she stowed the box underneath her bed until it was time for the big day.

"Mrs. Carter, Foxtrot has been doing beautifully." Amy said to the tall woman standing in front of her a few days later. She was Foxtrot's owner and she had come to see his progress and maybe pick him up to take him back home with her.

"Good, great." Mrs. Carter said. "I'd like to see you ride him." "Of course." Amy quickly tacked up the horse and led him into the arena. She jumped him over a variety of jumps-standards, oxers, large jumps, with no problems.

"That was very good!" Mrs. Carter said, smiling. "Thank you. He's a sweet horse." "Oh, I know he is." She seemed a little hesitant as she patted the horse quickly. Amy looked at the young woman in front of her. "Let's try something." She said. "How about you ride him?"

"Me?" She asked, looking shocked. "Yes. You do compete on him, don't you?" "Well…yes, I did." "That's great. I'll just raise the stirrups up and you can take him around the course. You can only do the small jumps if you want; I just want to get a feel for how he responds to a different rider."

The woman mounted the horse and rode him into the arena at a walk. She seemed kind of nervous. Her hands were holding the reins very tight, but Amy decided to just let to go. She would probably loosen up as they started cantering. "Okay." Amy said, signaling her to start cantering towards the first low jump.

Mrs. Carter squeezed Foxtrot into a canter. Amy noticed as they approached the jump she kept shortening her reins more and more, until there was hardly any slack left at all. "Loosen up your reins!" Amy called. "They're too short!" The woman didn't seem to hear her, and right before they came to the jump, she gave Foxtrot a mighty kick in the side. He gave a little buck, backing up and snorting noisily.

Wincing, Amy walked over to the pair. "Melinda," She said, calling the woman by her first name, "I think I have figured out what's wrong with Foxtrot, and it's nothing." Melinda looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Did you just see what he did!" "I saw it." Amy said. "And it wasn't his fault. I'm not saying it was your fault, either. It's just-when you approach a jump, you shorten your reins so much that you are giving him zero slack at all."

"And then right before a jump you kick him. That isn't being very fair to your horse, who is a fabulous jumper." Melinda bit her lip and dropped the reins. "It's just…he's so powerful. I don't want him to get out of my control. I don't mean to hurt him." Amy nodded understandably. "He is powerful, but that is a good thing. Don't be afraid of your horse, Melinda. If you need lessons, I'm always available."

Amy helped the woman untack him and lead him into Melinda's horse trailer. She thanked Amy and paid her. As she left, Amy looked after her, hoping that Melinda would get some help before she continued to jump the horse.


	16. Chapter 16 (Rush)

Sorry I haven't updated in a while; I've been really busy! Here's chapter sixteen and the wedding with be in seventeen, so keep reading. :)

Chapter Sixteen: Rush

Amy walked inside after a long day's work with some new client horses that had just come in today. Shedding her light jacket, she walked into the kitchen and found Lou bent over a wedding magazine, looking very serious.

"Hey, Lou," Amy said, grabbing herself a bottled water from the fridge. "Hey..." She said distractedly, "Oh, oh, look at this, Amy. Isn't this perfect?!" Lou looked positively giddy as she held up the magazine.

There was a picture of a huge white tent with tons of people underneath it and a completely elaborate buffet on the next page. "Lou," Amy said, "I told you I want a simple wedding. No huge tents."

When Amy had told Lou when the wedding was going to be, she had been so excited. Well, maybe excited was an understatement. Amy and Ty had told the family a couple of weeks ago when they were planning on having the wedding.

It was now a week until the date, and Lou was going crazy. They had already gotten a nice bakery to make the cake and some other food for the reception. Amy hadn't told anyone yet, but she was having Marion's wedding dress altered slightly so that it would fit her.

Georgie and Amy had been buying decorations for two weeks. They were nearly ready.

Lou sighed. "Oh, but isn't it beautiful?" She asked. "Yes." Amy said. "If you want a huge wedding." She grinned at her sister as she went to her room.

Shutting the door behind her, she smiled. She had never been as excited for anything as she was for her wedding day. She just hoped everything would be ready by then.

Ty sat inside the trailer, bent over a textbook with a huge cup of coffee by his side. It was nearly midnight, and he was still studying and had a ways to go. So much for sleep.

His arm was almost completely healed, and the doctor had said he could take his cast off right before the wedding.

Suddenly he heard a loud knock at the door. Startled, he got up and answered it. "Hey, Amy," He said, letting her inside. "Hi. Sorry to come this late."

"It's alright; sit down." Amy sat in the chair across the table from Ty. "Ty, I was thinking," She paused and took a deep breath, "Where are we going to live? When we get married?"

Ty sat his pencil down and seemed to be pondering that. "Well my rent contract is almost up on this place." He said. "For some reason Caleb wants to start living here again, so I said he could."

Amy nodded slowly. "This might be crazy, and you can tell me if it," she began, "But..I was thinking about the loft. I mean, it's close to my work obviously and the vet clinic, and it wouldn't be for long..."

Ty leaned forward so he was looking into her eyes. "I think it sounds like a great idea." He said. "At least for a while." She calmed down at hearing his say that. Smiling mischievously, she said, "Remember all that's happened in that loft?"

"Umm-hmm." Ty murmured, coming to sit next to her so he could wrap his arms around her and gently place a kiss on her cheek. "Okay, that's all I wanted to know." Amy said, standing up teasingly.

"Hey, why don't you stay for a while?" Ty asked, standing up to face her. "I wish I could, but I've got to get back home and get some sleep. Besides, I saw you were studying."

He sighed. "Okay." He kissed her again and they hugged briefly. "See you later. I love you."

Amy was just putting up Calypso, one of the client horses, from being ridden, when she saw Ty's truck pull up. Smiling, she shut Calypso's stall door and walked towards him.

"Hey," He said. "I was thinking maybe we could check out the jump course, maybe move the jumps out of the way for the wedding?"

"Sure." Soon they were at the jump course. It was just as it had always been-quiet, peaceful, and meaningful to them. None of the decorations had been put up yet.

"I love this place." Amy said, taking a deep breath of the fresh, woodsy air. "Me, too." Ty said. They stood just looking at it for a while, remembering the good times here.

Then Ty clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's move these jumps." He said.

In half an hour all the jumps had been carefully set to the side. "It looked much better with the jumps." Amy said. "Yeah, but we can't have our guests sitting on cross-rails and standards." Ty said.

They laughed. Even though each person was pretty quiet that day, they were both brimming with happiness thinking about their future together.

It was the day of the wedding. Shane knew that. Lying in the bed in the loft at ten in the morning, undressed and unshaven, he felt a bit rebellious.

Everyone else was up and busy with getting ready. He had seen Lou from the loft window, ordering people about, and then seen Amy, looking flustered but happy, as she came down to do the barn chores just like any other day.

And still he had laid in bed. He had no reason to get up. No one needed him here. Amy and Lou were busy with wedding plans and his own dad was practically ignoring him.

Taking a cigarette out of the pack, he climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans. Maybe there was some good food in the house, at least.

"Amy, what are you doing?!" Lou examined as Amy came back in from mucking the stalls and feeding the horses.

"Coming back from doing the chores, Lou." Amy said. "It's your wedding day! You can't smell like manure and grain! Go take a shower, hurry!"

Rolling her eyes, Amy headed to the bathroom. There was no telling how much she would be ordered around today. But in the end, it would be worth it.


	17. Chapter 17 (Wedding Bells)

Chapter Seventeen: Wedding Bells

The chairs had been set up; the decorations put out. The reception, which was going to be held outside at Heartland, was all ready-food and all.

Amy was in her bedroom, an hour before the ceremony was to begin. Her makeup and hair was already done in her usual fashion; simple and understated but beautiful.

She reached underneath her bed and pulled out the box that contained her mother's wedding gown. Smiling excitedly, she took it out of the box and fingered the silky white fabric and the delicate beading at the top.

Suddenly Amy found herself with tears in her eyes. She just wished her mother could have been there for this day. She missed her so much. Wiping the tears away quickly, Amy slipped the dress on just as Lou walked in the door.

"Amy, Soraya is here..." Lou's voice faded out when she saw her sister standing there. Amy saw her eyes mist over with unshed tears. "Oh, Amy," She said, "You're wearing Mom's dress."

Amy nodded. "I was surprised you didn't find out, seeing as how you were always prying at me to tell you what my dress looked like." Lou let out a strangled laugh and walked forward to hug Amy. "You look beautiful." She said, smiling.

As they parted, Amy said, "So Soraya is here? I'm so glad she could make it!" Amy had decided that Lou would be her maid of honor and she really wanted Soraya to be one of her bridesmaids.

Soraya had been her best friend since childhood, although they didn't get to see each other very much anymore. Amy was so grateful that she had managed to come over from Europe where she was living near her boyfriend to be at her wedding.

Soraya walked in the bedroom just then, and Amy and she embraced. "I've missed you. Thank you so much for coming." Amy said. "So

how is life over in Europe?"

"It's great, Amy, it really is. I'm so excited for you and Ty!" Soraya was practically squealing. "Okay, Soraya, will you come with me? I want you to tell me what you think of the reception area." Lou herded Soraya out of the room and Amy was left alone.

Ty Borden stood in the trailer, adjusting his suit jacket and running a hand through his hair. It was half an hour until the ceremony, and he was getting a little nervous. Not about marrying Amy, of course, just about the ceremony and everything.

He tried to imagine what Amy would look like walking down the aisle and all he could see was how pretty he knew she would look: not just because of her outward appearance, but because he could visualize the happiness shining from her face.

This was a long-awaited day for everyone.

"Amy, hurry up, it's time to go!" Lou burst into Amy's bedroom. She was just putting her shoes on and applying a last coat of lip gloss.

"I'm ready." Amy said, taking a deep breath and walking with Lou to the car taking them to the old jump course.

Besides Soraya, Lou was the maid of honor and Lisa was a bridesmaid as well as Georgie and Ashley. Caleb was taking Ashley to the wedding as his date, which made Val Stanton but everyone else happy. Amy wished that Mallory could have come back, but she was with Jake and Amy knew she couldn't make it, although she wanted to.

Climbing into the car, Amy fixed her dress and closed her eyes shut.

The wedding was just like Amy and Ty had wanted it: simple but very pretty. Lights were hung in the trees and the chairs were lined with fabric and bouquets of wildflowers.

It was a small wedding: only Amy and Ty's close friends and family, as well as some clients of Amy's, were there. Ty, standing at the makeshift altar and nervously twisting his hands together, noticed that his mother and Wade were sitting in the last row of chairs.

Swallowing, he wondered who had invited them. He didn't know, but he knew that he wasn't going to let any negative feelings into his mind as he waited for his soon-to-be bride to walk down the aisle.

When she did, it took his breath away. She looked gorgeous, and the love that shone from her eyes made him never look away as she walked up to him.

Both Jack and Tim walked Amy down the aisle. It was a compromise, as they knew the other would never let just them get to do the honors. Jack whispered into Amy's ear first, "I love you. He's a good man." And then Tim, "Um...I'm so happy for you."

Smiling widely, Amy walked to stand across from Ty as they started to say their vows. Caleb was Ty's best man, and a few of his friends from college as well as Scott were groomsmen.

Their vows were self-written, and it was all Amy could do to keep the tears from running over onto her cheeks when she read hers. "Since day one I knew I was going to be with you. Even when we were going through the rough patches in our relationship, I knew I belonged with the motorcycle-driving boy in the loft. You stole my heart from the beginning and have taught me so many things and made me love you more and more every day. I love you, Ty Borden."

Ty wiped a tear away from Amy's cheek, but when Ty read his vows, Amy noticed his piercing green eyes welled up, as well. "When I first came to Heartland," He began, "I was an angry teenager who didn't even want to be there. It turned out to be the best thing that has ever happened to me. I met you, Amy Fleming, and meeting you saved me from so many horrible things and taught me what it was to love freely and not run away."

Taking a breath, he continued, "You changed, in my mind and heart, from the bossy horse girl to the girl I gave my heart to. You'll always be that girl, Amy."

Lots of people attending the wedding were sniffling. They exchanged rings. "You may kiss the bride." The pastor said. Gently, Ty put his hand on Amy's neck and Amy moved in to kiss him. They kissed sweetly.

The small crowd broke out in cheering and clapping as they walked down the aisle again. Spartan and Harley were waiting, being held by a smiling Mrs. Bell, for Amy and Ty to ride back to Heartland for the small reception.

"I love you so much." Ty said to her as they mounted the horses.

So I know that chapter was long and kind of sappy, but weddings are supposed to be sweet, right? ;)

Next chapter will be their honeymoon so tell me: where do you think they should go for that?

Next chapter will also deal with Shane's issues as well as Ashley and Caleb again.

Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18 (Happiness)

So I looked at everybody's suggestions for the honeymoon along with what I had in mind and kind of combined it into one joint destination. I hope that y'all like it. :) Keep reviewing, please!

Chapter Eighteen:

The reception was going smoothly so far. It was being held right outside the Heartland barn. Amy had caved and gotten a small white tent, much to Lou's glee. Caleb and Ashley were standing right outside the tent, talking.

Ashley thought it looked nice, with the small crowd of people milling underneath it, eating wedding cake and snacks and chatting. Caleb was standing beside her, holding a beer. He had been rather quiet since the ceremony.

"They look so happy." Ashley commented, looking towards Amy and Ty. They had just cut the cake, and Ty slid a big bite into Amy's mouth, getting icing on her face. They were laughing.

"Yeah." Caleb said. "Those two are meant for each other." Ashley looked at Caleb's face. He didn't look that happy, to be at the wedding of one of his best friends.

"Is something wrong?" Ashley asked, putting down her glass of wine. "No." He shook his head. A moment's silence passed before he said, "Not exactly. I was just thinking about our wedding day..." "Which one?" Ashley interrupted, smiling.

Caleb looked taken aback. "Both of them, I guess." The first time he and Ashley had gotten married, at the courthouse, it hadn't been official, so they had to do it over again.

"What about them?" She asked. He shrugged. "Just about how happy we were that day...both of those days. I was so happy with you, Ash." Caleb looked at her seriously.

Ashley laid her hand on Caleb's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Neither of them said anything. Ashley felt that Caleb knew what she was trying to convey without words, and they were both content.

After the reception, Amy and Ty said goodbye to everyone and got into Ty's truck, which was waiting on them to go on their week-long honeymoon.

Georgie had taken great joy in spray-painting "Just married" on the back windshield in giant letters, and as they drove away, everyone stood and waved and cheered.

It took Amy a moment to catch her breath before she could say anything. She was so happy and overwhelmed at the same moment that she could hardly keep up with the jumble of her thoughts.

She was still wearing her wedding dress and veil, as they were spending the first night at Jack's old fishing cabin before they headed off on the real part of their trip, so Amy would change there.

For now, she carefully took off her veil and leaned over to kiss her husband-she felt overjoyed at the word-on his cheek.

Back at the ranch, they were all pitching in to help clean up the remains of the reception.

Even Tim stayed to help, as they threw away paper plates and cups, rolled up tablecloths, and carefully put the flowers in the house.

"Man, I can't believe they're married." Jack said as he carried a large bouquet into the house. "It took them long enough!" Lou said, smiling widely.

"Did you see how excited they both looked? I'm so happy for them." Lisa said as she sat a stack of linen tablecloths down on the kitchen table. Jack nodded. "Yeah, they're two in-love kids, alright." He agreed.

None of them noticed Shane, glowering in the corner of the living room. Somehow he had managed to sneak a couple of beers from the cooler and was quietly sipping from them as the adults were busy.

No one noticed until Tim went to flip on the TV, not-so-sneakily trying to get out of helping clean up. As he switched it on the sports channel, out of the corner of his eye he saw Shane draining the bottom of a Bud Light and flipping through the songs on his iPod.

"Shane!" Tim said, walking towards him. "What is that?" He snatched the beer out of his hand and sneered at it. "You know you can't have this! What has gotten into you?"

Shane shrugged nonchalantly. "Who cares." He said. "It was there; I took it." Tim tossed the bottle into the trash and said, "You're grounded."

"From what? Riding horses? I don't care about that anyway. What are you going to ground me from?" Shane crossed his arms across his chest and stared at Tim. "I don't know, but you can't go around doing stuff like that and expect to get away with it!" Tim was getting angry.

"I don't care!" Shane said. "Mom doesn't care about what I'm doing or where I am, she's just obsessed with this new job she has. You...people don't care about me either!" Shane's voice was flat and bitter.

"You pay no attention to me. I'm your son!" Tim actually didn't know what to say to that, and the two just stood there staring at each other until Shane turned and ran to the barn. "No, wait, Shane..." Tim began, but he was already gone.

The evening was peaceful and quiet as they made it to the fishing cabin. Ty began to unload their luggage while Amy went inside the cabin and looked around.

It was just like it had been the last time she had been there. Cozy, warm, and homey. She was just starting a fire in the fireplace when Ty walked in and sat all their bags down with a "humph."

Amy giggled at how his tie was wrinkled now and a button was undone on his shirt. "You looked quite handsome this morning." She said, walking towards him slowly.

Ty looked into her eyes and said playfully, "You weren't too bad yourself, Mrs. Borden." A shiver ran up Amy's shine and hearing herself being called that. She had waited so long...

"Ty, I love you." Amy said, for a moment resting her head on his chest and breathing in his wonderful familiar scent. "I love you, too, Amy. So much." Ty said.

Her heart was so full; so happy. Smiling, she kissed him, slow at first, and then deeper until her hands were in his hair and his shirt was unbuttoned halfway. They paused for air and Amy laughed.

"What is it?" Ty asked. "Your hair is going every which way and you still have your tie on." They both laughed and started kissing again.


	19. Chapter 19 (To See the World)

Thank you for your continuing to review and support my stories! :) And to JPNightrun-thank you!-and no, Amy and Ty aren't going with the family, lol. I just meant I'm joining some of y'all's ideas together for the destination of their honeymoon.

Chapter Nineteen: To See the World

Amy stretched beneath the blanket, feeling warm and comfortable. Opening her eyes, she saw Ty standing at the little stove making them breakfast.

"Good morning," Amy said sleepily. "Good morning." Ty replied, smiling at her. "We should probably be leaving in about an hour." He said.

Amy climbed out of bed, going to stand behind her husband. "Yum, those scrambled eggs look good." She said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

About an hour later, Ty and Amy had eaten breakfast and were all packed up to go. They were taking motorcycles on a road trip for their honeymoon-Ty was riding on his and Amy had borrowed Jack's.

Ty locked up his truck and pulled the motorcycles down from the bed. He handed Amy a helmet and smiled at her as she swept her hair underneath it and buckled it. "I must say, you look sexy in a motorcycle helmet." He said playfully, grabbing her up in a hug.

Amy giggled, feeling her heart start to speed up, but protested when Ty started kissing her neck wistfully. "Ty!" She said, laughing. "We've got to leave!"

Ty backed away, grinning at her. "You're right." He said. They climbed onto the motorcycles and drove down to the highway.

"Ready?" He asked, looking over at Amy. She nodded, and they took off on the start of their trip, hopeful and happy.

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with him." Tim complained as he rummaged in the Heartland fridge.

Lou shrugged. "Call his mom. She is his legal guardian, you know." She said. "I know, but he's my son, too. Apparently she's been ignoring him because of some stupid job she has. That's no way to treat your child."

Lou rolled her eyes, thinking of the years that Tim had been completely absent from her and Amy's life. "Well then, you have to help him straighten up his life." She said.

Tim grabbed a soda and sat down at the kitchen table. "I went up in the loft to wake him up this morning and found a whole bunch of cigarettes on the floor." She said.

"Yeah. I don't know when he took up smoking." Tim said. "And drinking, too." He mumbled underneath his breath. Just then Shane walked in the door, slamming it closed behind him.

"Hey, Shane," Lou said nicely, offering him a soda. "I don't want that." Shane said, pushing past her to get to the fridge.

"Hey, that's no way to talk to a lady!" Tim said, sitting up straight. Shane looked at him and shrugged. "What do you want?" He asked.

"I want you to get a better attitude and stop doing things you know you aren't supposed to do." Tim said sharply. Shane grabbed one of Jack's beers and popped it open.

"I don't see how you guys are going to stop me." He said defiantly. Both Lou and Tim were in shock as they watched the young man walk out of the house.

"I'm got to talk to him. I would now but I've got an appointment to keep." Tim said, angry. "It better be sooner than later." Lou chimed in, going to check on Katie.

Caleb and Ashley sat on the barstools at Maggie's. "So what are you getting?" Ashley asked, glancing over the menu.

"My usual. A cheeseburger with fries and a beer." He said, closing the menu without even looking at it. The waitress walked by and heard what he had said.

Smiling, she scribbled it down. "What will you have?" She asked Ashley. "Um...the same, I guess. But make that a water for me, please."

Caleb turned to the blond woman sitting beside him. "Since when do you eat burgers? I thought you were trying to go all healthy and stuff."

Ashley shrugged. "That was in college." She said. "I was so afraid of 'the freshman fifteen' that I hardly ate anything but salad. It's time to eat a real meal."

Caleb grinned at her. "Sounds good to me." They sat in silence for a while. Caleb snuck his hand across the small gap between their chairs and stealthily found Ashley's smaller one.

Grabbing it gently, he held it. Ashley looked at him and smiled. Their burgers came and they began to eat. Hearing the bell about the door jangle, Ashley looked up to see her mother walking through the door.

She groaned underneath her breath as Val approached the counter. At first it seemed to be that the woman didn't see them, but after she had ordered a cup of coffee she turned to Ashley and said, "Nice to see you're enjoying your date."

Her voice was flat. "Hey, mom." Ashley said, continuing to eat. Val looked over at Caleb and surveyed him up and down, wrinkling her nose slightly at his faded jeans and plaid button-down.

"So, Caleb, what nonsense have you filled her head with this time?" She asked as she took her coffee from the waitress. "Mom!" Ashley snapped. "No, Ashley, I want to know why he wants to date you again!" Val said, her voice rising.

"Maybe because I still love her, Mrs. Stanton." Caleb said quietly, trying to quell the growing argument he could see coming. Val stared at him. "I don't believe it." She said, and walked out.


	20. Chapter 20 (Past and Present)

Chapter Twenty: Past and Present

Amy and Ty pulled over on the side of the road. "Are we here?" Amy asked, looking around. "Yup." Ty pointed to the large sign that made known that the plot of land was a state park.

They had one more day of traveling to do, but this was where they would spend the night. Ty had brought a small tent and they had packed sleeping bags and food.

As Ty set up the tent, Amy gathered kindling and got a small fire started. She smiled as she thought about what Lou would have thought about spending a night of her honeymoon sleeping in a tent.

Lou wouldn't have liked it; but Amy didn't mind. In fact, she rather enjoyed it, surrounded by the stars and the fresh air. "You know what this reminds me of?" She asked as Ty came to sit down beside her.

"What?" He asked, wrapping his arm around her waist. "The night we got engaged. You remember, we were with that foal and..." Ty smiled. "I remember." He said, and his handsome green eyes seemed to have a faraway look in them.

"I wonder how the horses are doing," Amy mused. "Probably well." Ty said. "I know Jack is taking good care of them; and your clients know that we our on our honeymoon." Amy nodded.

The fire crackled in front of them, enveloping them in warmth. Amy laid her head on Ty's chest and she felt Ty start to play with her long blond hair. She started laughing against the soft fabric of his T-shirt.

"What is it?" He asked. "I was just remembering when I was so jealous of you being with Kit. Gosh, I could be insecure back then..." Amy said, her voice rambling off.

Ty chuckled. "I honestly didn't know you were that jealous." He leaned up to get a look at Amy's face. "Were you really?" He asked, a teasing grin spreading across his face.

"Geez, I didn't know you wanted me so badly..." He said jokingly. "Oh, stop it!" Amy said, swatting him. "Like you weren't jealous of Chase." Ty gave one last chuckle and pulled Amy close to him again.

"Let's not talk about that, now." He said. Smiling knowingly, Amy closed her eyes, content to rest against her husband, and soon found herself lulled to sleep by the sound of crickets chirping and his rhythmic breathing against her.

"Lou, what the heck are you doing?" Jack stepped inside the attic that next morning, hoping to find an old box of pictures, but instead found Lou, tidying up the place.

She held a duster in one hand and a box that read "Trash" in the other. "Cleaning this place up!" She exclaimed, giving the window a mighty shove to get it to open.

Sunlight flooded the room and you could see every particle of dust floating around. Jack coughed. "That's better." Lou said. "Grandpa, I can't believe you hadn't cleaned this place up before now. It's going to take me at least two more days to get it the way I want it."

"The way you want it for what?" Jack asked, stepping through a pile of boxes to try to find his pictures. "For Amy and Ty, of course! They'll be back in five days and they'll need a place to live!"

Lou looked at him like he was crazy and continued dusting. "Lou, they said they would be fine living in the loft for now." Jack said.

"I know that, but Shane is living there. And besides, the loft is too small. This place will be so nice when I fix it up." Lou turned to Jack. "Hey, do you know if Dad has talked to Shane yet?" She asked.

Jack shrugged, feeling a little out of the loop. "I have no idea, Lou." He said. "I just came to get my pictures."


	21. Chapter 21 (To See the World)

Here's a whole chapter of Tamy! :) I can do some more like these, more in-depth if you want, as well. Just leave suggestions if you want something to happen!

Chapter Twenty-One: To See the World

Amy smiled, feeling the cool breeze blow through her hair and remind her that autumn was coming soon.

Ty was leading on his motorcycle, and they were almost there. She was so excited. They had already had a good honeymoon so far, but this was the real deal-the part of the trip that she had been waiting for.

She knew where they were going because she and Ty had planned the trip together. They were paying for it with their own money, both of theirs, so they both felt it was right to plan it together. Besides, they had both always wanted to visit California, so it wasn't a hard decision.

When they passed the sign that said "Welcome to California", Amy let out a whoop of happiness. Ty looked back at her, surprised and wondering if something was wrong.

When he saw her expression, he grinned and let out a similar yell. A bit more of traveling and they made it to where they were headed: the Napa Valley area.

They had booked a room in a small bed and breakfast overlooking a lake and the mountains. As they pulled into the little parking lot, Amy took off her helmet and observed all of the beauty around her. It was breathtaking.

Alberta was beautiful, but here was a different kind of gorgeous. Ty came to stand beside her and they looked at their surroundings silently for a few moments. "It's something, isn't it?" Ty asked, slipping his arm around her.

"Oh yes." Amy said. They got their bags down and brought them into their room to settle in.

A few hours later they were still in their room; just lounging around. They had arrived at mid-afternoon, so they decided to just rest for a little while and then go get dinner.

Amy lay on the big bed, looking at the screen of her phone. A picture of her and Ty, her holding Spartan, was on the front. She missed him. In fact, she missed all the horses; and her family. However, she was having so much fun here, and having a week's worth of alone time with Ty was great.

Ty slid onto the bed next to her, leaning his head on her shoulder. "You miss Spartan?" He asked without even seeing what she was looking at. Laughing, Amy rolled over to face him. "How did you know that?" She asked.

"I'm a mind-reader." Ty said teasingly, grinning. "I believe you are. You always seem to know what I'm thinking." Amy said. Ty grew serious.

"No, that's just being in love with you." He said quietly. Smiling, Amy reached up and ran her hand down the side of his face lovingly. Two-day stubble was on his cheeks, and his green eyes sparkled.

Oh, this was the face that had made her stomach turn somersaults since so long ago; the boy-turned-man who she had wished to be with since he came to Heartland.

"What is it?" Ty asked. "It's just...I love you." Amy said. He looked into her eyes and seemed to know what she had trouble expressing in words, and slowly they began to kiss.

The kisses grew deeper and Amy felt herself smiling against Ty's lips.

She was so happy.


	22. Chapter 22 (In the Back of our Minds)

Have you guys seen the premeire of season 8? I did and wow, it was a frustrating but good episode!

Chapter Twenty-Two: In the Back of our Minds

Amy rolled over in bed and stretched her arm across the sheets, expecting to feel the warm form of her new husband lying beside her.

Instead, her hand was met with only the cool pillow and an empty space. Groggily opening her eyes, she looked around the bed and breakfast room.

There he was. Sitting in the armchair by the small coffee-maker with a mug in one hand and a textbook in the other. Amy slipped out of bed and walked over to him.

She slipped her arm around his neck, smiling. He looked up at her. He was fully dressed and ready for the day. Amy glanced at the clock. It was only 8 o'clock, but she had slept in later than usual.

"Have you been able to get any studying in?" She asked. She knew that Ty had brought a few of his textbooks along with him on their honeymoon. He had said he was going to try and study if he got some spare time, because he had a big exam when he got back.

"Yeah, I got some done." He said. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" "Sure." Ty handed her a cup and they sat and enjoyed their coffee together before their day really began.

"So what do you want to do first?" Ty asked after breakfast. "Hmm, I don't know." Amy said. "What were you thinking?"

"Well, we could go on a tour of a big grape vineyard. Or we could just go sight-seeing. Or..." Ty stopped at looked at Amy, grinning, "I heard that there's a stable down the road that offers trail rides. We could go on a ride."

"Really?" Amy asked. "That would be so much fun!"

Soon the two were headed in a rental car to the stables. Upon arrival, they both picked out a horse that they were to ride. Ty picked one that looked similar to Harley and had a sweet face, while Amy chose a tall black and white paint.

They set out on their trail ride, a picnic lunch provided by the bed-and-breakfast in tow. As they rode, they talked. "Ty, I noticed Wade and Lily were at the wedding." Amy said.

She looked over at him and saw his jaw clenching and an unreadable expression cross his features. "Yeah." He said. "I didn't invite them." "Maybe not, but I think that it's nice that they came. It shows that they care, right?" Amy asked.

"If mom really cared she would dump that ass." Ty said, referring to Wade. Even though Ty and Wade had mended their relationship a tiny bit, Wade still struck a bitter chord in Ty's heart that couldn't get past what he had done to him and his mother; and repeatedly did.

Amy dropped the subject and instead said, "I was thinking we could live in the loft when we got home, right?" She asked him. Ty nodded. "That's right." He said.

They didn't know that Lou was fixing the attic up for them.

They rode on, talking about Ty's vet studies and Amy's work with horses. Amy was very happy, and so was Ty. They were content together, and knew they would have challenges to face in the future. Right now, however, that was all in the back of their minds.


End file.
